Apparatus for tapping water-mains under pressure.



A. FAIRFIELD.

APPARATUS FO TAPPING WATER MAINS UNDER PRESSURE.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. s, 1913.

1,081,223. Patented De@.9,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH Co.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

A. FAIRFIELD. APPARATUS FOU TAPPING WATER MAlNs UNDER PRESSURE.

APPLIGATION FILED TEB.6,1913.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

STATES NPAIEN'I OFFICE.

ALEXADER FARFIELD, OF HARRISVILLE, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH B. WEEKS, OIE' I-IARRISVILLE, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR TAPPING WATER-MAINS UNDER PRESSURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 6, 1913.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

Serial No. 746,661.

To @ZZ whom t may concern."

Be it known that l, ALEXANDER FAIRFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at l-larrisville, in the county of Lewis and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Tapping Waterdilains Under lPressure; and lt do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to inake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specifica tion.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for tapping mains containing liquid under pressure and comprises a simple and efficient apparatus of this nature having various details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

l illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which :wn

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional View through the apparatus shown as applied te a main, the latter' being in cross section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail section of a part of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional. view through the valve clamping and holding device, and Fig. et is a sectional view on line ll-ll of ll l.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, ik designates a yoke adapted to be held about a main li in any suitable manner, as by means of the clamping member D which is held to the flanges of the yoke by means of the bolts C, shown in dotted lines in the drawings.

A suitable housing, designated by letter D, has flanges D which are held by means of the screws D2 to the flanges of the yoke rk, a suitable packing being interposed between said housing and the flange in order to make a tight joint. @ne end wall of the housing D is apertured as at E to register with an opening in the yoke A and t-he opposits wall is apertured as at l? for the reception of the socket end G of the drill chuck ll having a hollow shank portion. Said chuck H has a beveled shoulder ll adapted to engage a shoulder l formed in the lateral extension or sleeve D3 of the housing D, thereby limiting the movement of said chuck in one direction. The circumference of the extension Ds is threaded as at Z for the reception of the sleeve J which has a head J interiorly threaded and between which sleeve J and the extension D3 a suitable packing K is interposed to make a tight joint. The circumference of the sleeve d is threaded as at J2 and is adapted to receive thereon the feeding shell L in teriorly threaded and engaging the threads J2. Said shell L has cut away portions L in order to give access to the interior thereof for the purpose of adjusting the set screws N which engage threaded apertures in the collar N, which latter is adapted to be held in different adjusted positions upon the circumference of the chuck H and within the member L.

A ratchet collar M, interiorly threaded, engages threads M upon the circumference of the chuck H and has ratchet teeth M2 formed about the circumference thereof and which are adapted to be engaged by a pawl O having a stem 0 movable wit-hin the slot O2 of the handle l), a spring 03 serving to normally hold the pawl in engagement with the teeth M2. A jam nut Q, is mounted upon a threaded portion of the circumference of the chuck H and bears against the ratchet collar and serves to hold the handle P upon the circumference of the ratchet collar M.

Mounted to have a longitudinal play within the chuck H is a tube lt, circumferentially threaded at lt for the reception of the threaded jam wheel lig which may be turned aga-inst the end of the collar lvl for the purpose of holding the saine against the nut Q. A hand wheel R3 is keyed to one end of the tube R and serves as means for rotating the same. The inner end of the tube lt is squared as at t* and is adapted to engage a similar angular outlined socket R5 formed in the adjacent end of the shank of the drill lt, an enlarged view of which is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Said drill has tapping threads R9 which, after the hole is drilled, are adapted to form the threads B5 in the marginal edge of the drilled opening B6.

Mounted to have a longitudinal play with in the tube R is a rod 'l having a head T at its outer end and between which latter and a shoulder T2 upon the rod a coiled spring T3 is mounted and serves to normally hold the rod T at its farthest outer limit in one direction.

Fitted Within the hollow boss S which is integral with the housing D is an open# ended shell S, and S2 designates a packing gland fitted to t-he threaded circumference of the boss S, making a tight joint intermediate the shell S and said boss. A shaft S* is mounted to have a longitudinal movement within the shell S and passes through a collar which is interiorly threaded and engaging a threaded portion S6 of the shell S and a suitable packing S7 intermediate the collar and shell form a tight joint. An operating wheel S7 is mounted upon the threaded portion S8 of the shaft S4 and is adapted to bear against the collar S5 whereby a longitudinal movement may be imparted to the shaft S4 when the wheel is turned in one direction.

Pivotally mounted upon al pin W carried by the shaft S4 are the jaws V, shown clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and which are concaved and adapte-d to engage and hold a valve casing X to be inserted in the main after the latter has been tapped. A pin f2 is supported by the shell S and against which the two jaws are adapted to contact when an inner thrust is imparted to the shaft S4, thereby spreading the jaws to receive the valve in the manner shown in I Fig. 8.

Fastened to the housing D is a rack D5 having a laterally extending arm DG surrounding the shell S and a suitable feather l)7 upon the shell passes through the aperture in the extension DG and serves to hold the shell from turning. A shaft V is journaled in said lateral extension DG and has a hand wheel V fixed thereto and also a ratchet wheel V2, the teeth of which are in mesh with the teeth of the rack bar D8 integral with the shell S.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood and is as follows :e-The housing is clamped by the means shown about the main B in any suitable manner, the stuffing box S2 removed, the valve gripped and held by the jawsd/V and the shaft St moved outward in order that the valve will be positioned as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, in readiness to be advanced to the position to be inserted in the main after the same has been tapped. The drill is inserted in the end of the chuck H, having threaded connection therewith, and the shell with the drill is rotated through the lever P having a pawl thereon, which engages the teeth of the ratchet collar. By the turning of the shell L by hand, the end thereof will contact with the collar N fixed in any adjustable position within the shell L,

. nection thereby causing a forward feeding movement to the drill. The hole being tapped in' the main, the drill may be removed from the shell with which it has threaded conduring the drilling operation through the medium of the tube R which, when rotated in one direction, will cause the inner squared end of the tube R to unscrew the shank portion of the drill from its socket in the end of the chuck H and, when thus disconnected, the drill may be pushed from over the inner end of the tube R by inserting any object against the head T of the rod T, thus causing an inner longitudinal movement to be imparted to the same and, when pressure is relieved from the head T, the latter will return to its normal position which is that shown in Fig. l. The hole having been tapped in the main, the valve held by the jaws W may be thrown down to alinement with the drilled aperture by the manipulation of the wheel V. Vhen the threaded projections of the valve come in alinement with the chuck H and the aperture which has been tapped, the chuck H may be driven forward by the manipulation of the shell L, causing one of the threaded project-ions of the valve to engage the threads in the wall of the tapped aperture. After the circumferentially threaded projection Y2 of the valve Y is engaged by the threads on the wall of the socket. at the end of the chuck H, the threaded projections of the valve casing will be in alinement with the tapped opening in the main, after which the jaws are released from the valve by the manipulation of the shell S5 and, when thrown back from engagement with the valve, they may be withdrawn by the rotation of the wheel V', causingthe ratchet wheel to engage and impart a longitudinal movement to the shell S. The valve may then be turned so that the projecting portion Y2 of the shell is in threaded engagement with the threads in the hole which has been tapped in the main after which the chuck is released from the valve. This having been accomplished, the housing and the parts of the apparatus may be removed from the main, which has been tapped, and the valves inserted therein without interference with the liquid pressure within the main.

lVhat T claim to be new is l. An apparatus for tapping mains *comprising a housing adapted to be clamped to a main, a longitudinally movable shell mounted to move within a suitably packe-d boss projecting from the housing, a shaft movable within, said shell, jaws pivotally connected to said shaft and adapted to hold a valve, means for imparting a longitudinal movement to the shell, a drill chuck movable within suitable bearings within said housing and at right angles to said shaft, a drill in said chuck, means for rotating the latter, and feeding mechanism for the chuck, as set forth.

2. An apparatus :lor tapping mains oomprising a 'housing adapted to be clamped to a main, a longitudinally movable shell mounted to move Within a suitably packed boss projecting from the housing, a shaft movable Within said shell, jaws pivotally connected to said shaft and adapted to hold a valve, means for imparting a longitudinal movement to the shell, a drill chuck movable Within suitable bearings Within said housing and at right angles to said shaft, a drill in said Chuck means for rotating said chuck, 35

an open-ended tube mounted movable Within said drill chuck, the inner end of said tube adapted to engage a recess Yformed in the inner end of the shank portion of the drill,

and a hand Wheel fitted to said tube, as set 2o forth.

In testimony whereoi1 l hereunto aHiXed my signature in the presence of two Wit-- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

